Lack of civics knowledge a dire, yet fixable, problem

By Phillip VanFossen

Phillip VanFossen

James Madison. Alexander Hamilton. Freedom of speech, religion and assembly. The separation of powers. Most would agree these are historical figures and basic concepts with which every American should be familiar.

But unfortunately, that's not necessarily the case. The fact is that many Americans lack fundamental knowledge and understanding about the Constitution, our nation's history and the principles on which our republic was founded.

As the nation's schools prepare to celebrate the first Constitution and Citizenship Day this month – mandated by Congress last year in an effort to increase civic literacy – it is important to reflect on the state of civics education in the United States.

Earlier this year, a study sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation found that more than a third of high school students think the First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees. Three out of four think flag burning is illegal. Half believe the government can censor the Internet.

Even among college students, the situation is serious. In 2000, the Center for Survey Research and Analysis conducted a poll to assess college seniors' knowledge of key historical facts. The findings were worrisome. For example, while only 23 percent correctly identified James Madison as the "father of the Constitution," 98 percent knew that Snoop Dogg is a popular rap artist. In 1998, the National Assessment of Educational Progress for Civics found that nearly three-fourths of high school students had less-than-proficient civics knowledge.

The numbers tell us the depth of the problem. But why does it matter? And do educational institutions really need to be told by Washington to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 17, 1787, signing of the Constitution?

Absolutely. In fact, there is still much to learn from a document that came into being nearly 220 years ago:

• We can learn precisely what our system of government is and why it was created that way. Many Americans hold the mistaken notion that our system is a "democracy." In fact, the Constitution laid out a federal republic with clear separation of powers and a representative – rather than a directly democratic – system. Our founders were quite fearful of a "tyranny of the masses," so the authors of the Constitution designed a unique system that placed decision-making instead in the hands of elected representatives.

• We can learn that our system of government has not been, and is not now, perfect, but the Constitution provides a unique mechanism for self-correction. The process laid out by the founders has added 27 amendments (including the Bill of Rights) that have brought our nation closer to realizing our goal of "a more perfect union."

• We can learn a lot about compromise. In these days of tense "red state-blue state" confrontations, we would do well to recall lessons from what has been called the "Miracle of Philadelphia." In the summer of 1787, the delegates debated the basic structure of our system, with the small states wanting equal representation in the new legislative branch and the large states wanting proportional representation. The convention was at a standstill when a solution was reached. The Connecticut Compromise proposed a bicameral legislature with one house based on proportional representation (the House of Representatives) and another on equal representation (the Senate). In adopting this compromise, both large states and small states were able to see beyond their immediate benefits to those of the new nation at large.

• We can better analyze current events because understanding our past helps us understand the present. John Roberts, recently nominated to the Supreme Court, has outlined his philosophy on interpreting the Constitution. Why does this matter? Supreme Court justices' views of the Constitution can have dramatic effects on our way of life. For evidence of this, one needs only to study landmark cases, such as Miranda vs. Arizona, which established that police officers must read criminal suspects their rights before placing them under arrest. More recently, in Bush vs. Gore, the high court's decision to stop the recount of ballots in Florida led to the election of our current president.

The good news is that our nation's leaders recognize the critical situation and are taking action. Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W. Va., who for decades has decried the decline of civic knowledge, inserted the Constitution and Citizenship Day mandate into a spending bill in 2004.

And through citizenship programs, teachers can have an impact, too. Purdue's James F. Ackerman Center for Democratic Citizenship offers many opportunities, such as the Civic Education Institute, where teachers from around the state learn how to use Internet technology to teach about citizenship and the Constitution. The Ackerman Center also offers programs such as "We the People … The Citizen and the Constitution," within which students develop presentations about the history of the Constitution and its applications to life in the United States today.

Citizens should recognize the importance of knowing about the Constitution without the federal government having to mandate it, but we must begin somewhere. And setting aside this day to concentrate on the Constitution is a small, yet important, step in the right direction.